When Can I Eat Before A Big Game Or Exercise?
Posted: Thursday, July 24, 2008
by Stephany Springer
Athletes have always battled about what is best as far as eating and competing is concerned. Is it better to not eat before a big game? Are energy snacks beneficial? Should food be avoided at all cost?
As a mom, I have battled back and forth on this subject as well. With games most of the night, sometimes it is a battle just to plan dinner. Add to the controversy finding something healthy, quick and at the same time something that won’t make them sick on the field. I have this fear of my kid throwing up in the middle of a sporting event. When I dated my husband, I felt that embarrassment after he threw up during a collegiate flag football game all of the dinner he had eaten. As a mom, I never want my kids to experience that.
Eating is good
For years, athletes have thought that our bodies can not digest foods while exercising. This is not true. In fact, pre-activity eating can help athletes by supplying energy for sustained exercise and preventing lightheadedness, fatigue and indecisiveness that results from low blood sugar.
How much time should I allow before exercising when eating?
This depends on the amount of food the athlete wants to eat. Allow four hours for a big meal around 1,200 calories. Allow two hours for a light meal around 600 calories and an hour or less for a snack around 300 calories.
What foods are safe to eat?
Never try new food right before a game because you never know when you might have an allergy. Carbohydrates are the best source of energy for athletes. They maintain normal blood sugar and glycogen. Quick candy bar snacks are not hurtful to athletes. In a March 1987 study in the Journal of Applied Physiology, athletes who ate a big breakfast four hours before and candy bar five minutes before hard exercise improved 20 percent during the exercise test compared to when they ate nothing.
What kind of meals are carbohydrate-rich?
For early morning, pancakes can be beneficial. Spaghetti, breads or potatoes or protein-rich chicken can all be beneficial to providing energy. Stay away from fried foods or fast food because it slows digestion.
Snacks
Snacks are of great benefit. Granola bars or energy bars can provide a much needed lift. Fruit should be a staple, crackers and juice boxes as well.
The key is to plan ahead and be prepared. I can’t tell you how many times I have stopped at the local drive-thru before a game so that the family can eat. It looks like it would be better to plan ahead, pack some pasta or just snacks to make it through the night. This explained so much to me. I can’t tell you how many times I have watched my son drag around the bases or just look exhausted. Most likely the cause was the fast food weighing his stomach down.
Sports is important, but it is more important to give our kids the energy to compete in the sports.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)this article helps me a lot.Thank
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